1. Subaru Outback
  2. Problems
  3. Engine

Subaru Outback Engine Problems

329
Owner complaint records in our dataset
19
Years with records
2000–2019
Stored years

Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.

Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.

Among these 329 stored complaint records:

  • 6 indicate a crash
  • 2 indicate injury
  • 9 indicate fire

Complaints by year

What appears in the records

  • head gasket · 11 records
  • coming stop · 11 records
  • check engine · 10 records
  • extended warranty · 9 records
  • needed replaced · 7 records
  • engine light · 7 records

Mileage in stored records

BandRecords
100–150k mi88
1–30k mi80
60–100k mi74
30–60k mi40
150–400k mi20

Complaint evidence

Latest stored owner-submitted records. Open a year for the full list.

  • January 19, 2020 · 162,400 miles

    Electrical System · Engine

    2009 subaru outback stalling while driving. The engine turned off while driving with light acceleration at low speeds (5-20 mph) without warning. Warning lights flickered on and off. I was able to restart the car. This is a huge safety issue to have the car stall out without warning. Subara south blvd dealership say they do not know the root cause. Prior to the above incidence the car, while driving at low speeds,…

    ODI 11300598

    2009 records in this system

  • January 11, 2020 · 190,000 miles

    Engine · Unknown Or Other

    About 4 weeks ago, on late saturday morning, driving down the interstate, from richmond, va my car caught on fire in hampton. The car jolted a little and would not accelerate. Pulled to the side of the road, smoke became visible, but the temperature gauge was not running high. A witness ran toward the car yelling to get out of the car because it was on fire. Even though 2 fire trucks were on the scene, it took a…

    Fire reported

    ODI 11308055

    2006 records in this system

  • January 3, 2020

    Engine

    I need to put a quart of oil every 250 miles. I did an oil check with grayson subaru knoxville tn, and they told me that the car was fine.

    ODI 11296821

    2013 records in this system

  • December 11, 2019 · 114,000 miles

    Engine

    My transmission on my 2014 subaru outback blew on me in december 2019. I was in motion turning off the highway to an intersection

    ODI 11308821

    2014 records in this system

  • December 6, 2019 · 30,000 miles

    Engine

    Since the car has been brand new, a half gallon of coolant has needed to be added to the car on a monthly basis. No leaks have been detected. There has always been a very strong odor of burning coolant. Dealer states this is normal for the 2.5l engine, so there is nothing to repair, just keep an eye on the coolant level. I filed a complaint with subaru of north america, and received a similar response. Both the…

    ODI 11287567

    2018 records in this system

  • December 3, 2019

    Engine · Power Train

    My vehicle accumulates a lot of highway miles. These are easy and unstrenuous to and from work. Over the past 3 months i had my vehicle misdiagnosed three times when i was complaining of transmission problems. As i have just broken 125,000 miles my vehicle gets diagnosed with needing a new head gasket and a new transmission. Costing easily more than the vehicle is worth. Subaru it not willing to back their vehicles.…

    ODI 11287225

    2011 records in this system

  • November 15, 2019 · 81,000 miles

    Engine

    The car looses power to the point where it occasionally stalls when i decelerate and come to a stop or just before the stop. I replaced the battery as it was on its way out anyway and the problem persists. I don't think it has anything to do with the alternator and i haven't brought the car to a dealer or mechanic yet. But want to raise the flag on the issue i'm having because i've seen lots of forums where other…

    ODI 11280242

    2013 records in this system

  • November 8, 2019 · 145,000 miles

    Electronic Stability Control · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control

    An accelerator that became unresponsive while driving 65mph on 3 lane highway. This problem is prevalent with subaru and you can read about many people who have the problem which is an extreme safety issue. If you go online and search for subaru outback code p2138/throttle position sensor you will find that the sensor has intermitent failures which cause the accelerator to become unresponsive. Even when people get…

    ODI 11299992

    2007 records in this system